Spicy Sausage, Two Ways: Part One

First!  This post and the next are about two recipes that are not vegetarian.  But if you are a vegetarian, please keep reading because I definitely think you can make vegetarian versions of both the recipes - and if you do, I'd love to hear how they turned out!

For the last two months, MG and I have not bought any meat.  Not because we're not eating it, but because 1) we're trying to eat *less* of it, and 2) we still had a lot in our freezer from when we combined kitchens. So, we decided to not buy any more meat until we finished what we had. When we finally start buying it again, we're going to limit it to only 1 or 2 purchases a month.

Getting browned, with some balcony garden rosemary.

Although I enjoy a good burger from time to time, I'm not a huge eater of ground meat in any form, be it beef or pork.  It's not that I don't like it, it's more that I don't love it, so when I'm trying to choose something from one of the hundreds of recipes I have, recipes that call for ground meat don't usually win out.  However, MG still had a package of ground Italian spicy sausage in the freezer that dates back to the old apartment, and I knew that we needed to get around to using it.  It was a whole pound though, which is more than I would put into any one recipe, and since I'm wary of refreezing raw meat, I figured I'd need to find two recipes to use.

 

First we add some tomatoes...

And then LOTS of olives.

I was successful!  My plan was to make one dinner-y type dish and then one soup that we could parcel out and freeze for lunches when the weather turned colder (spoiler alert: we ended up not wanting to wait until the weather turned colder. There is only one serving of soup left.)

For the dinner dish, I pulled out a pasta dish that I'd had my eye on for a while: Pasta with Spicy Sausage, Tomatoes, Rosemary and Olives from the New York Times.  I pretty much followed the recipe as is, with the following modifications:

1. I only used 1 tbsp olive oil
2. I used a 14 oz can diced tomatoes with a little of the juice drained off.
3. I added 1/2 yellow onion, diced
4. I used more like 1/2 cup green olives (I love olives!)
5. I didn't use whole-wheat pasta. We still have 5 boxes of pasta from the 15 we had when we combined households to go through before we're allowed to buy more. #singlepeopleshouldnotbuyinbulk
6. I added 1/2 bag of baby spinach at the end and let it wilt down.

Iron!

I was very happy with the recipe, but I did find it a little oily.  I think the next time I make it I would drain off the oil from the sausage before adding the rest of the veggies, or even further reduce the amount of olive oil.

Pasta with Spicy Sausage, Tomatoes, Rosemary and Olives
Adapted from The New York Times

This made 4 really large portions.  You could probably get a 5th out of it, if you had a large bunch of greens on the side.

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 lb hot Italian sausage - we used ground, otherwise remove the casings
1 large sprig fresh rosemary
1-2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 14-oz can diced tomatoes, a little of the juice drained off
1/2 yellow onion, diced
1/2 cup green olives with pimentos, sliced
1/2 bag baby spinach leaves, roughly chopped
1/2 lb pasta (we used penne, something spirally would be good too)
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Cook pasta according to the package.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Saute the sausage and rosemary until cooked through, about 5-7 minutes.  Add the garlic and onion and saute until softened, about 1-2 minutes.

Add the canned tomatoes and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Throw in the olives and cook for 5 more minutes.  Finally, add the spinach in handfuls, allowing it to wilt down a bit.  Cook for 1-2 minutes, or until all the spinach is completely wilted into the sauce.

Add sauce to pasta, mix, and enjoy!

Dining In: Mediterranean Chicken and Grains

Sometimes nothing is better than a whole bunch of grains, veggies and meat, all mixed up in one dish (unless you're vegetarian, in which case, not having the meat is better).

I had half a bag of Trader Joe's Harvest Grains Blend (Israeli cous cous, orzo, baby chickpeas and quinoa) to use, so I decided to make a Mediterranean casserole-y dish out of it (although I guess it's not technically a casserole since I didn't cook it in a casserole...)

There isn't really a recipe, but here is the general idea: I cooked the mixed grains according the the package with Better than Bouillion Chicken while I roasted a whole eggplant, cubed, for 20 minutes at 425F with some olive oil and kosher salt.  While that was all going I browned some chicken sausage with rosemary and feta.  Finally, I mixed everything up with red onion, green pepper, kalamata olives, sundried tomatoes, about 3 large handfuls of baby spinach and some fresh mint and thyme from the balcony garden.  Added a bit of allspice, red pepper flakes and salt and pepper (all to taste, I didn't measure), topped it off with some feta, and we were ready to feast!

It wasn't the fastest meal, but it was really delicious and very filling.  We made 5 large servings out of it - hurray for freezer leftovers!

OPP (Other People's Produce)

There are many great things about living in Washington, D.C. I love having access to museums, history, some beautiful parks (haven't been to Meridian Hill Park? Change that this weekend!), theater and some seriously excellent restaurants. Great inventions like ZipCar and the granny cart have made grocery shopping easier, and it seems like every year there are more farmers' markets cropping up, so you can get fresh, locally-grown produce almost every day of the week.

That said, I am a midwestern girl, and there are times that I miss the relative space that living there provides. Don't get me wrong, I grew up in a city. But the city I grew up in was not like D.C. - even college student apartments were often duplexes, and virtually everyone I knew growing up lived in a single-family home. And while I love the hustle and bustle of urban living, there are times I kind of wish I could live in a smaller city, where I could afford a house and a big back yard and do some REAL gardening (not that I don't love my balcony garden! But you can't grow pumpkins on a balcony garden.)

For now though, I must live out my idyllic dreams vicariously through other people - in this case, my mother. She and my step-mom have been working hard on a lovely garden in their backyard in Akron, and the other day she sent me some fantastic photos of what they've grown!

"Everything in the garden is a lot bigger now than when I took the pictures - it kind of looks like a tomato/cucumber/potato jungle."

In the raised bed they are growing:

beefsteak tomatoes

grape tomatoes

pickling cucumbers

potatoes

My mom reports that they've been pickling some of the tomatoes and cukes, so fingers crossed I get to have some when I go home for Thanksgiving! She offered to send some back when we go out to Ohio over Labor Day, but I think the TSA might have a few thoughts on that.

Perhaps fried?

They also have a garden along the side of the house, where they are growing:

yellow and red bell peppers

cherry tomatoes

heirloom tomatoes

purple basil

green basil

cilantro

Do you have a balcony or backyard garden? Send pictures to cookiesandkale@gmail.com and tell me what you're planning on making with your harvest!

Meatless Monday: Adventures in Tofu

Yes, in a bout of complete non-originality, MG and I have joined the Meatless Monday bandwagon.* Or, I guess I should say, we officially joined the bandwagon, because we've been accidentally having Meatless Random Days of the Week for a while now. I honestly can't tell you how that began - I think it probably stems from last summer, when we started getting produce delivered and were suddenly confronted with having to consume a ridiculous amount of veggies in a pretty short period of time. This forced inspired us to research some new recipes, and that, compounded with our efforts to not buy meat unless it's on sale, led to quite a few days without any meat on the menu.

Recently, however, I read several articles about the impact that going meat-free for one day a week can have on the environment. So, we decided that we'd do what we'd more or less been doing, and just be a little more consistent and deliberate about it. I mean, it's cost-saving, healthier and environmentally-friendly. Plus, it's just so alliterative!

So, today marked our first official Meatless** Monday (tomorrow will be Meatless Tuesday by default, since I'm having the same things to eat).

Today's menu consisted of a fantastic beet, walnut and goat cheese salad for lunch, and Spicy Eggplant and Tofu for dinner. The eggplant dish was especially fun to make because I got to use some green peppers and fairytale eggplants from our balcony garden, and because it was the first time I cooked with tofu and miso paste.

From our balcony garden!

The component parts.

Also from the balcony garden! This never stops being amazing to me.

Where the protein comes from.

Marinating away.

So THAT'S what miso paste looks like. Things I didn't know before last night.

The marinade was a mixture of miso paste, teriyaki, soy sauce, Szechuan sauce, pineapple juice, ginger and garlic.  The flavors were fantastic, although I definitely ended up adding more Szechuan sauce than the original recipe called for - it was more "warm" than spicy. (We also had our good old Sriracha at the table).  Next time I might add some crushed red pepper flakes, as well. Otherwise, the only thing I would do differently is press the tofu (the Internet said you didn't have to if it was firm!) But it was a little softer than I'd like.  I loved the way this turned out, and since eggplant is one of my top three favorite summer vegetables, I'll definitely be making this one again.

The finished product!

Hope you enjoy this for Meatless Monday or any day of the week!

Spicy Roasted Eggplant and Tofu with Sesame and Honey

Adapted from The Whole Foods Market Cookbook

Serves 4

2 medium eggplants (or 6 small eggplants), cut into 3/4-inch cubes (about 4 cups)

1 lb firm tofu, drained and cut into 1-inch cubes

3 tbsp white or red miso paste (I used white)

1/8 cup tamari or soy sauce (I used soy sauce)

1/4 cup water

4 cloves of garlic, minced

1/8 cup grated fresh ginger (about a 2-inch piece)

1 cup canned pineapple juice

1/8 cup teriyaki sauce

2 tsp toasted sesame oil

1/4 cup white sesame seeds

1/4 cup cider vinegar

3 tbsp honey

1 tsp Szechuan sauce (or to taste)

3/4 tsp salt (or to taste)

1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper

1 large red or green bell pepper (or 3 baby ones from your garden!), seeded and diced

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro (optional)

Preheat oven to 450F.

For the marinade:

In a small bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, water, garlic, ginger, pineapple juice, teriyaki sauce, sesame oil, sesame seeds, cider vinegar, honey and Szechuan sauce. Whisk in the miso paste until blended.

For the eggplant and tofu:

In a large mixing bowl, toss the eggplant and tofu with 1 and 1/4 cups of the miso marinade, salt and pepper.  Cover with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature for 20 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the eggplant and tofu to two nonstick baking sheets. Reserve the excess marinade. 

Bake for 15-20 minutes until the eggplant and tofu are browned, but the eggplant is still somewhat firm. Allow the eggplant and tofu to cool on the pan for about 10 minutes, then add it back into the large bowl with the excess marinade, bell pepper and cilantro, if using. Mix well. 

Serve with steamed white or brown rice, and the additional marinade as sauce (and, if you like things on the spicier side, Sriracha or your hot sauce of choice).

 *Fun fact! According to Wikipedia, the FDA coined the term "Meatless Monday" during World War I in an effort to reduce consumption of certain foods to aid the war effort.  So, apparently the bandwagon originally looked like this:

Photo credit: Early Cars by Michael Sedgewick via Old Woodies

**For now, this means meat and meat products (like broth, stock and lard). Although some people are going egg/dairy-free too, we aren't there yet, and may not ever be. I definitely had my yogurt this afternoon.

For more reading on Meatless Monday, check out these articles:
More Weight on Less Meat by Mark Bittman (NY Times.com)
The Meat Eater's Guide to Climate Change and Health via Climate Change: 3 Proteins with a Big Carbon Footprint (TheKitchn)

The Secret (Balcony) Garden

OK, it's not really a secret, but we do live on the 6th floor, so you'd have to be looking up to see it.

My last apartment had a balcony too, but it was north-facing, so I didn't bother trying to plant anything on it.  Our current apartment is south-facing, however, so as soon as we signed the lease we started plotting what we might grow.

Our hot hot jalapenos.

Seriously.  These things are freaking hot.  Ask MG.

Over Memorial Day weekend we put our plan into action and bought some seedling plants at the farmers' market in front of our building.  

Rosemary.

We wanted an assortment and we wanted them to be edible, so we went with fairytale eggplant, basil, dill, chives, thyme, arugula, bell peppers, rosemary and jalapenos.  We later acquired mint and stevia plants that we received as guest gifts at a wedding we attended in June (coolest wedding favor ever?  Possibly). 

Cute little baby bell peppers!  I can't wait to eat you!

Our amazingly resilient arugula plant, on the right.  Seriously, this thing has survived both the temps and a very hungry green caterpillar that was feasting on its leaves.  Also a very hungry blogger and her boyfriend that were feasting on its leaves.

Minty fresh.

Despite the heat waves we've had this summer, they are all thriving!  (Well, not the dill, but even that appears to have made a come-back.)  We've been taking advantage of all the fresh herbs as much as possible.  So far we've used balcony garden harvest in:

-Lemon Thyme Bars

-Grilled Eggplant with Chives, Thyme, Tomatoes and Goat Cheese

-Fig, Arugula and Cheddar Melts

-Thyme and Goat Cheese Frittata

-Mint Chutney

-Fattoush

-Chicken Curry

-Caprese Panini

-Egg Salad Sandwiches with Bacon and Arugula

-Rosemary-Lemon Chicken Kebabs

-Roasted Eggplant with Cous Cous

-Moroccan Carrot Salad

-Greek Salad

-Simple Roast Chicken with Herbs

-Tuscan White Bean and Tuna Sandwiches

Pesto waiting to happen.

Mini eggplant!  Hey there!

Some internet research informs us that our fairytale eggplant are ready to be eaten, so we have Spicy Roasted Eggplant and Tofu with Sesame and Honey on the menu for this upcoming week.

A view from above.

Chive flowers are so pretty!

Peeking through the foliage.

I love our balcony garden!  Do any of you do any urban gardening?  What do you grow?

The Lunch Box: Chicken Tomatillo Soup

Packing my lunch most days for work has been a huge factor in weight-loss (and it’s helped slim down my dining expenses, so bonus!) Last year I would eat lunch out 2-3 times a week, but now I almost always brown bag it.  I try to save my daytime dining out for work lunches or the occasional Fojol Bros. treat.

Because I get tired of eating the same thing, I rarely have dinner leftovers for lunch. Sundays I often cook a separate meal to take to work during the week and put some in the freezer so I can mix it up. Keeping lunch interesting but also portable and healthy can be a challenge, so I thought it would be fun once a week to share some of the best lunches I’ve brought in my lunch bag (and I’ll be honest - sometimes the laziness strikes. Hello Kashi microwave meals!)

This week I had two definite successes. Over the weekend I made the aforementioned egg salad, and had that for lunches two days this week. When I ran out of whole wheat wraps, an English muffin did the trick just fine.

Note balcony garden arugula. And BACON.

The star of the week, however, was the Chicken Tomatillo Soup. I’ve been eyeing this recipe for a while, so when we went down to the Dupont Farmer’s Market on Sunday I was on the lookout for tomatillos. The recipe also provided an excellent opportunity to use up two ears of fresh corn that MG picked up from the farmers’ market by his office, a jalapeno from our balcony garden, and some of the chicken we froze after our roast chicken feast last week.

The farmers' market bounty.

Fun tip: if you want to avoid painful mishaps involving fingers in eyes and essence of jalapeno, wear latex gloves.

I made the soup on Sunday evening, but today was the first day I had it for lunch. It was...delicious. I love tomatillos because they have this awesome tanginess, and even add a certain creaminess to the soup - almost as if there was some melted cheese in there, but there isn’t (although there could be.  I always advocate for some melted cheese).

I enjoyed mine with some multigrain tortilla chips.

Tomorrow we’re doing a work lunch outing and Friday I have lunch plans with a friend, but I have 3 more servings of this in the freezer to look forward to over the next couple of weeks. Excellent!

Tangy tomatillo-y goodness!

Chicken Tomatillo Soup
Adapted from Heat Oven to 350

Yield: seven 1.5 cup servings

1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 pounds chopped tomatillos
1-2 jalapenos, seeds removed, minced (I just used one, because ours are so freaking hot!)
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 cup chopped cooked chicken
1 14.5 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
1-2 ears of corn, husks removed
1/8- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (depending on how spicy you like it - I went with the 1/4 tsp)
1/2 tsp hot pepper sauce
1/4 tsp cumin
Salt and pepper to taste

Optional Toppings:
cheddar cheese, shredded
tortilla chips
chopped fresh cilantro - I omitted this, because MG doesn’t like cilantro (“It tastes like dirt”)

While you’re chopping up your tomatillos, onion, garlic and jalapeno, place a steamer basket upside down in a large pot. Fill with about 1 inch of water. Bring to a boil. Place the ears of corn onto the steamer basket, reduce heat, cover, and steam for 15 minutes. When the corn is done, allow it to cool enough to be handled, then using a sharp knife, remove the kernels.

Meanwhile, in a stockpot or Dutch oven, heat olive oil over medium heat. Saute onions until translucent, 3-4 minutes. Add garlic and saute until fragrant, 30 seconds (be careful not to let it burn!) Add tomatillos, jalapeno and chicken broth. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes.

Puree the soup using an immersion blender (my preferred method) or transfer to a conventional blender or food processor to puree in batches.* Return to pot and add cayenne, hot pepper sauce, cumin, and salt and pepper to taste. Add chicken, black beans and corn and simmer until heated through.

Serve with desired toppings and enjoy! (P.S. I bet this would be good with some diced avocado on top. Hmm...I guess I’ll have to make this again to test my theory...)

*Blending hot liquids can be dangerous because they want to expand and go all over the place. I know from personal experience. It involved sweet potato bisque and it was embarrassing. Anyways, a couple of steps you can take to minimize the likelihood of getting hot tomatillo soup all over your floor and your body are to only fill the blender halfway, and to remove that little cap in the lid to allow the hot steam to escape. Just make sure to hold a clean dish towel over the opening.

Gooey Goodness

One of my projects this summer was to use the little balcony that came with our new apartment to grow some fresh herbs and veggies.  We've been pretty successful so far: our jalapeno plant is going in full-force (it is HOT!!), we have little baby bell peppers appearing, along with a small eggplant variety, arugula, basil, chives, thyme, rosemary, mint, and stevia.  The only failure so far seems to be our dill plant - it was doing well for a while, but the last week I think it gave up on life.  I did get one good Greek salad out of it though, and put some fresh dill on my salmon burger last week, so it wasn't all in vain.  I'll post some pictures when I remember to take some pictures during daylight :)

One of my favorite ways to use some of our balcony greens this summer has been on variations on grilled cheese made on the panini press MG bought me last year.  The winner so far is definitely the Fig, Arugula, and Cheddar Melts we made a few weeks ago.

We started with some yummy whole grain bread from the Dupont Farmers' Market, and topped it with some onion balsamic jam.

Where the gooeyness comes from - dried figs and some Cabot 75% reduced-fat cheddar.

Sandwich assembly line - note the leafy greens!  Arugula from the balcony!

And after the longest five minutes on the panini press, plus an even longer five minutes waiting to cool a bit, time to eat!

Fig, Arugula and Cheddar Panino

Adapted from The Kitchn

2 slices of your favorite whole wheat bread

1 tbsp balsamic onion jam (available at Whole Foods, but probably other places too)

1 oz Cabot 75% reduced fat cheddar

3-4 dried figs, thinly sliced

1/2 cup arugula

Spread 1/2 tbsp onion jam on each slice of bread.  Layer on the figs, arugula, and cheddar.  Grill on panini press for five minutes - if you don't have a panini press, just place the sandwich in a skillet or saute pan, put another pan on top, and weigh it down with a couple of soup cans.  Once the cheese is nice and melty, remove from heat and allow to rest for a few minutes (if you're like me, a "few" minutes doesn't last very long when you're hungry and there is melted cheese involved).   Slice and enjoy!  I think MG and I had a glass of red wine with this, and it worked really well with the peppery arugula.